Why David Hyde Pierce Won't Be Returning As Niles In The Frasier Revival
By Matthew Martinez
The "Frasier" reboot has been discussed for some time, and David Hyde Pierce had been very noncommittal about whether or not he would be willing to take part in it. In an interview with The Guardian in April, Pierce said, "It's happening, but I don't know in what form, and I don't know when, so I don't know where I'll be and what I'll be doing. I'm certainly interested to see what they come up with." Then in October, Deadline reported that the reboot had officially been picked up by Paramount+, with Kelsey Grammer as the only original cast member expected to return as a series regular.
In a recent interview with People, Grammer, explained why Pierce opted not to return for the show's revival. "David basically decided he wasn't really interested in repeating the performance of Niles," Grammer said. The actor also confirmed that the new series would take place in a new city and focus on new supporting characters. "In a very funny way, it just took us to a new place, which was what we originally wanted to do anyway, which was a Fraser [sic] third act. It's an entirely new life for him," Grammer said. He uses the phrase "third act" to refer to the fact that the upcoming series will be the third to feature the character of Frasier Crane, following "Cheers" and "Frasier."
